Avowal
by bravevulnerability
Summary: A ThankYouTerri fill. Castle and Beckett attend the Sorenson wedding.


**Set anytime post 7x06, Time Of Our Lives.**

* * *

The venue is lovely, simple but stylish with touches of the bride's tastes scattered throughout the decorations. Indoors as well, since Will always hated the outdoors and everything that came with it.

The Sorenson wedding is exactly what she expected.

"Boring."

"Castle," she huffs, swallowing back a laugh and tightening her fingers on his arm, but he only smirks and steals her hand from its resting place upon his forearm, tangles their fingers and strokes his thumb over the band adorning her fourth digit.

The bride has just walked down the aisle, standing at the front of the ballroom with Will in a pretty but plain white dress Kate's seen in one too many bridal magazines that Martha and Lanie flipped through with her earlier in the year.

"You know, wearing a pantsuit to our wedding was a great idea," he whispers, leaning in close enough that his shoulder is pressing up against hers, his lips brushing the shell of her ear while his warm breath upsets a few stray wisps of her hair. "Very fashion forward."

"So glad you approve of my style, Castle," she murmurs back, hiding her grin when an older woman with a fake bird on her hat turns in her seat to glance back at them, the threat to scold already in the frown lines bracketing her mouth.

"And those pants were so fitting, classy but sexy," he hums, the thumb caressing her ring finger slowing, tracing sensual circles over her thin bone. "Oh, and the jacket. What's the word for it? Bolero? Don't even get me started on how much I enjoyed that."

Will Sorenson and his bride are exchanging vows now, speaking loud enough for the small congregation of guests to hear, but Kate is having a difficult time concentrating on the heartfelt words of love and devotion when Castle is distracting her with words of his own.

"All so much easier to remove too."

"Castle," she growls, shaking her hand free of his, only to cover his knuckles, pin his palm to her knee. "Will you just pay attention."

It was his idea to attend this wedding, sending in their RSVP at the last second, and she's known all along that it wasn't because he was interested in extending his congratulations to her ex in person, but she had failed to extract the true motive from him in time. Though, she did have an idea.

Castle splays his fingers over her bare knee, skims his pinky along the hem of her dress, flirting with the form fitting navy blue material. "It's just so traditional, which isn't a bad thing, but you would have hated this."

Beckett turns her attention away from the bride and groom, back to her husband instead.

"What do you mean?"

His smile is a little sheepish once he realizes her eyes are on him, slightly self-deprecating as he shrugs.

"I guess I was just curious, wanted to see if I could have pictured you ending up with someone like that, having a wedding like this. But it's not you."

She scoffs under her breath, receives another look – no, a glare this time – from the woman sitting in the row in front of them, but Kate still drifts in closer to him, murmurs the truth into his ear.

"Of course none of this is me. Our wedding, in the Hamptons, with our family was me."

"But what about the wedding you always dreamed of?" he argues softly, flipping his palm beneath hers, encompassing her hand in the cradle of his while unexpected insecurity weaves its way through his eyes. "Like the one we were planning before-"

"Castle, we could have gotten married at the courthouse, just the two of us, and it would have been my dream wedding," she confesses, something she thought he already knew, and watches with a tightening chest as he meets her eyes with blooming awe in his. "All I wanted for my wedding was you."

"_And you may now kiss the bride_."

The room erupts in cheers and applause, but Castle's gaze is on her, on her mouth, blue eyes alight with the urge to pour his love, his gratitude, onto her lips, but he settles for lifting their clasped hands and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

* * *

"So, I'm assuming he became more than just interesting."

Kate rolls her eyes as the groom approaches her with a smirk, extending a hand and giving hers a soft shake when she accepts.

"Congratulations, Will. The wedding was beautiful, so is this reception," she offers with a smile, genuinely happy for him and the life she had once believed neither of them would ever find.

They had been a couple of workaholics always drowning in caseloads back then, sharing dinners with open files on the table and living in the heat of spare moments. It had been one of the reasons she had thought they would be a perfect fit all those years ago, that he would eventually be her 'one and done'. They both understood the lifestyle, the sacrifices, but there has to be a balance, and they could just never find it.

"Thanks, Emma is great," he grins, glancing back to the bride stationed near the cake, surrounding by a huddle of women in matching lilac dresses. "I see congratulations are in order for you as well."

He nods towards the ring on her finger and her smile grows wider. She notices Castle returning from the men's room over Will's shoulder and Will must catch her gaze, realize who it's landed on.

"He makes you happy?"

Castle waves at her as he approaches, a familiar, crooked grin on his lips, and she's sure she doesn't even have to answer, sure it's already all over her face, but she meets Will's sharp, curious eyes with a nod.

"Yeah, he does."

"Ah, Sorenson," Castle greets, patting Will on the shoulder as he steps around to reach Kate, curving a palm at her waist in a show of possession she allows him to have, just this once. "How wonderful to see you again and under such better circumstances."

"Likewise, Mr. Castle. I'm going to get back to my wife now."

"And I'll stick with mine," Castle beams, squeezing her waist as she huffs at the response, but Will chuckles, seeming to share and respect Castle's boyish pride, and bidding them one last goodbye before striding across the ballroom floor and coming to stand beside his bride amidst the swarm of the wedding party.

"You're a sap," she mutters, turning in his one armed embrace to see his joyous expression, the sapphires of his eyes sparkling as they find hers.

"Weddings always get the best of me," he sighs, tugging her closer as the lights of the ballroom dim, the DJ announcing that it's time for the bride and groom's first dance.

She had never been one to get swept up in the romance of weddings, not even during her handful of runs as a bridesmaid. No wedding has ever caused her heart to flutter and sing with awe. Only theirs. But with Castle… he's managed to make even her ex boyfriend's wedding seem pretty magical.

"I'm glad you insisted upon us showing up," she murmurs, using the advantage of her heels to tilt forward, brush a kiss to his upturned lips.

Kate leans into him when the soft swell of the music fills the room, winding her arms around her husband's neck and swaying slowly with him in the shadows.

* * *

**A/N:** Prompt: "Caskett goes to Will Sorenson's wedding." Submitted by tshlw. Filled as a gift to Fffreewheeler for a generous contribution to YoungStoryTellers dot com slash ThankYouTerri. See all the prompts and fills at ThankYouTerri dot tumblr dot com.


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